BDRATT

Update: Distributor was 180 off. I had a cam and spun it as I watched the valves to see what order stuff was happening in. I had swapped it before, but this may have been too much and I couldn't find my chalk line on the timing mark. Changed it to fire right and the Brat tried to start when I cranked it over to check the mark again. Thank you GeneralDisorder.

So, my engine is all together, put in the car and there still is a problem. I have the timing set to 8 degrees past B. I checked it and it isn't 180 degrees off. Every time I try to start it fire and fuel shoots out the carb. It won't try to start. I have: Compression Spark Fuel Any idea what is going on?

I think I will leave it, bit of laziness and a bit of an experiment. I'll post if I notice a difference in how it was to how it is now, with work and school I don't have much time to get it all done. If there is a difference, would it be possible to increase the length of the pushrods to accommodate the difference in lifter height?

All I need is a running car, so if I take a small decrease in valve lift I should be fine? Maybe? Haynes Manuel, Subaru 1600 & 1800: Cam lobe height With solid lifters................1.2693 (standard) With hydraulic lifters..........1.4134 (standard) Large difference, but with my minor understanding, this will only result in a minor reduction?

Just looking at it I saw really no differences in the 2 cams There could be some, really all I want now is a car with a working heater. Only parts that are from the original EA81 are the came and crankcase. My machine shop screwed up and sent me the wrong crankshaft, but they fitted it with the right bearings, so It should work. Heads are from a junkyard, so not original to the crankcase.

Update: The hydraulic lifters did not fit in without separating the case. So, after an hour and a half everything was fixed and put back together. Hydraulic lifters fit the 1979 EA81, as well as the original solids. I got the heads on as well and everything looks normal and it pushes all the valves alright. No problems.

First time trying to put back together my EA81 fresh from the machine shop. Got to the point of putting the lifters in then it hit me... it don't fit! These solid lifters don't fit when the case is all sealed and put together. Should have read the manual better, hind sight... The reason I didn't do this was that, this isn't might first disassembly, but I had taken apart a later model EA81. That later one I had the pleasure of dealing with, the lifters just fell out every time I tried to turn the motor on it's side. But that one had hydraulic lifters. Crap. That was about 7 hours ago, I get home, check the lengths of the solid lifter vs. the hydraulic lifter, and the hydraulic lifter is a smidge shorter. So unless Subaru changed the crankcase design from late 1979 to the early 80's, then I should be able to use the hydraulic lifters instead of the solid lifters, right? Correct me if I'm wrong. This is just my way of trying to not have to disassemble the whole sealed crank with pistons installed again. Thank you

Update or sorts: Got under it, all bolts on oil pan were loose, expecially back ones under crossmember. Changed back to original PCV from the crappie Chinese one I had put in it before. Seems the oil possible ruined my alternator, so if anyone has any ideas you clean that up, I would much appreciate that. I'll be driving it tomorrow after I put in the extra one I have, so I can see if I made a difference. One more thing. Is there any diagram for the 1981 brat vacuum and fuel lines around. The hood on my brat is from my parts car and is a 1980 diagram, same on my 1980 wagon. Thank you.

I actually have both oil sensors. Car came with a gauge sensor attached to the single light indicator. Bought a small sensor type like you have a picture of and installed that. Crawling under the car I noticed fresh oil coming down. Only a drip though. To me this would suggest maybe not a crank seal, but I'm no expert. It had dripped off the passenger side of the oil pan gasket. Also, my oil pump seems to be one of the least affected things on the car, as the seem where it connects to the engine has little to no oil on it. Whereas the oil pan bolts have fresh oil on them. It's hard to tell exactly where it would be coming from, as the fan belt shot the oil everywhere. The back of the crossmember seems to be the most oil covered, second only to the pan. This is assume is do to the placement and flow down of the oil. There is however a small bulge up on the passenger side of the oil pan gasket where the fresh oil had been spotted.

So recently my '81 Brat has developed a very large oil leak. About 2 months ago I replaced the head gaskets, oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, PCV, and oil pump/filter gasket. Drove my car a couple hundred miles after then one day I drove it 20 miles, stopped and oil was coming out the bottom and all over the engine like no other. I topped off the oil, and drove it till I got around to replacing the improperly installed oil pan gasket, drove it 20 more miles and low and behold, OIL. The bock, bottom of my Brat and everything is just oil. No clue where its coming from. I had blamed my last gasket problem on the PVC freezing, as I live in the cold hell that is South Dakota. My question is what do you guys think it could be? Is it still the oil pan? Before I had changed the head gaskets I had no problem with oil, only antifreeze. Thank you.